You Shall Not Pass!
by DaLiza
Summary: Fitz's father thinks that he's going to crash his son's wedding. Coulson and Mack disagree.


**Thanks to Stewart and Tracy for beta-ing.**

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"He's here!" Fitz's tearful mother told Mack. The normally soft-spoken woman had to raise her voice to be heard over the band playing at her son's wedding reception.

Fitz and Simmons had decided to get married in Glasgow because Fitz's mother, Bonnie, was terrified of flying. While Bonnie had appreciated the gesture, she'd worried that Fitz's father would find out about the wedding and try to make an appearance.

As Fitz's friend and best man, Mack wasn't going to let that happen. His eyes darkened as he put down the drink he'd been working on while Yo-Yo was in line for the bathroom. "Where?"

"In the parking lot. I went out for a bit of fresh air and I saw him. If Leo sees him-"

"Don't worry. I'll handle it." Maneuvering around several dancing couples, Mack exited the banquet hall.

Coulson was dancing with May when he noticed Mack leaving. "Mack looks upset about something."

"You want to go after him?" May asked.

"Would you mind?"

"Go ahead. I'll get myself a drink."

Coulson followed his partner into the parking lot. After spending hours in the crowded banquet hall, he was grateful for the cool night air. Soon he spotted Mack. "What's going on?"

Mack's eyes were scanning the rows of cars. "Fitz's dad is here."

"And everything was going so well." Coulson sighed. "Do you know what he looks like?"

Mack took a picture out of his pocket and handed it to Coulson. "Bonnie gave me this."

Coulson looked at the picture. It was a family portrait in which Fitz stood in front of his parents. He guessed Fitz's age in the photo to be around eight or nine. His mother, the only one who'd managed a smile, had her hand on her son's shoulder. His father was standing slightly apart from his wife and child. His brown curly hair was similar to his son's, but unlike Fitz there was something unpleasant about his expression.

Looking out across the sea of cars, Coulson saw an old man in a kilt drinking from a flask. He bore a strong resemblance to the man in the photo. Coulson pointed him out to Mack. "I think that's our guy."

The old man put his flask in the pouch that hung by a chain around his kilt. When he started shuffling toward the banquet hall, Coulson and Mack moved to block his way. "Excuse me, sir," said Coulson. "Are you Leopold Fitz's father?"

"Yes," answered Mr. Fitz. His breath reeked of alcohol. "Now step aside so I can get to my son's wedding."

"NO," said Mack. "You're not going anywhere near Fitz. Not today."

"Are you his bodyguard?" Mr. Fitz laughed. "Who are you to tell me I can't be near my own son? I know we had some problems in the past, but he wants me to be here now. Why else would he get married in Glasgow?"

"You're a real piece of work if you think that had anything to do with you," Mack snapped.

Coulson stepped in between the two men. "Mr. Fitz, I'm a friend of your son's. I understand you wanting to be here, but you admit that you two have a troubled history. Your son is a good man. He deserves to have this one day free of drama. Please, let him have that."

Mr. Fitz glared at Coulson. "You say you're a friend of my son?"

"Yes," said Coulson. "A close friend. I officiated the wedding."

"And you think that gives you the right to ask the groom's father to leave?"

"You left him when he was ten years old," Mack retorted.

"I didn't leave him. His mother kicked me out!" Mr. Fitz's face was turning bright red. "She said I was drinking too much. She said I was criticizing her precious baby boy too much. Nonsense. Boys don't grow up to be successful men when you praise them for every little thing. It's a hard world out there! You have to be hard on them!"

"You kept telling Fitz he was worthless because you wanted him to be successful?" Asked Mack.

"Of course I wanted him to be successful! He's my son! And if Leo's accomplished anything in his life, it's because he worked his arse off to prove his old man wrong."

"No," came a woman's voice from behind Coulson and Mack. They turned to see Simmons in her wedding dress, a white ball gown with a lace bodice and long lacy sleeves. The dress suggested a fairy tale princess, but the look she gave Fitz's father was that of a warrior. "You don't get to take credit for Fitz's successes. You didn't inspire him to be smarter or stronger. He did that all on his own. He's a far better man than you'll ever be."

Fitz's father stared at Simmons for several seconds. "Wow. I'm impressed Leo was able to get himself such a beautiful bride. Be a good lassie and come give your father-in-law a kiss."

"You're disgusting!" Simmons walked away from Fitz's father...and straight into Fitz, who had seen his new wife leaving the banquet hall and followed her.

Fitz saw the tears in his wife's eyes. "Jemma, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She furiously wiped away a tear that was rolling down her cheek. Daisy would be upset that she was messing up her make-up! "Let's go inside."

But it was too late for pretenses. Fitz had already seen his father. He started moving toward him.

"Fitz, wait!" Simmons grabbed his hand. "You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do. I've been afraid of him my whole life. I don't want to be afraid any more." Still holding hands with his wife, Fitz walked up to his father. "Hello, dad."

Mr. Fitz smiled. "Leo! It's good to see you, son."

"I can't say the same. You know when I was a kid, I used to think that I was...defective in some way...because I couldn't ever make you proud of me. No matter what I did, it was never good enough. And then you left. Mum did her best to try to convince me that it wasn't my fault, but I assumed she was lying to spare my feelings. I felt like a failure for so long...and then I met Jemma." He squeezed her hand. "She helped me realize that the problem with my childhood wasn't me. It was you."

"So you think I'm a terrible father because your little bitch said so?"

Fitz took a step forward, wanting to hit him. In that moment, it seemed like the right and moral thing to do. Who would blame him for defending his wife? He imagined his father's surprised expression as his son's fist collided with his skull. But then what? Would he spend the rest of his wedding day with bloody knuckles or a fractured hand?

No.

He didn't need to hit him. He didn't need to prove himself. He had a job he excelled at and a woman who loved him. A woman who had just become his wife. He had already won.

Fitz took a deep breath. "Jemma and I have been looking forward to this day for a long time, and I'm not going to let anything ruin it. Even you." He turned to Simmons. "Let's go back inside. I want to dance some more with my wife." Hand in hand they returned to the banquet hall. Neither looked back.

"Ungrateful brat!" Mr. Fitz shouted. He tried to follow his son, but once again Coulson and Mack blocked him.

"That's enough," said Coulson, resisting the urge to punch Fitz's dad with his robotic arm. "We're going to get a cab to take you home." He took out his phone and made the call.

"You can't make me leave! I'm the groom's father! I deserve to be-"

Mack had his arms wrapped around Mr. Fitz's neck before he could finish the sentence. In an instant the old man went limp and Mack let his unconscious body slip to the ground.

"I should have done that five minutes ago," said Mack. "It's a shame Fitz had to deal with that jerk on his wedding day."

"I think Fitz will be okay," said Coulson. "But if he's not, Simmons will be there to help him through it."

Daisy, May, and Yo-Yo, wearing matching purple dresses, rounded a row of cars and walked toward them.

"I liked watching you choke the crazy old man," said Yo-Yo. She kissed Mack's cheek.

May smiled at Coulson. "I thought you might punch him in the face with your robot arm. Old man or not, he deserved it."

Coulson laughed. "I definitely thought about it. I called a cab for him instead."

"Go dance with your girlfriends," Daisy told Coulson and Mack. "I'll stay with Fitz's dad until the cab gets here." The maid of honor stood over the unconscious father of the groom. "You are so lucky that I didn't see you first. I would have quaked you across the parking lot."

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 **Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


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